Dolce Gusto compatible pods

We have already written many articles about compatible coffee pods, and now it is time to talk about Dolce Gusto compatible pods, one of the most popular brands among European coffee pod machine users. That’s why there is a wide range of compatible pods in Europe and not so much outside Europe.

If you are looking for Dolce Gusto pods, you are probably looking for a higher quality coffee to save money or to try new flavours. And to be honest, these are all good reasons, so we’ll assess them all in this article.

Are Dolce Gusto-compatible pods legal?

In the past, Nestlé, the patent holder of the Dolce Gusto coffee pod system, has sued the manufacturers of compatible pods in court on numerous occasions. As a result, compatible pods have not appeared on the market much until very recently, after the patent expired (2015).

The Dolce Gusto pod system patent

Did you know that coffee pod machine brands do not derive their main revenue from the sale of coffee machines but from the sale of pods and associated products?

Write down on a piece of paper how much your coffee pod machine costs, and next to that, write down how much you spend on coffee pods over a year. Multiply the latter amount by the average life of your coffee machine (about five years) and compare the two figures.

  • The cost of the Dolce Gusto Mini-Me coffee machine is £56.49.
  • The cost of an original coffee pod is £0.26
  • The cost of 365 coffee pods (1 coffee per day) is £94.9.
  • The cost of 5 years of coffee pods (1 coffee per day) is £474.5.

There is no doubt that, in the long run, we all spend much more money on pods than coffee machines. And this, of course, has always been very much on the minds of companies’ marketing and sales departments (especially Nescafé Dolce Gusto).

They have no interest whatsoever in the existence and marketing of compatible Dolce Gusto pod systems. Here is an article that explains it much more precisely: How much does a coffee pod machine cost to have? However, once the patents have expired, compatible pod brands have proliferated.

Do Dolce Gusto-compatible pods work properly?

Once we know that the sale of compatible pods is legal, the next question is whether these pods will work properly in our coffee machine. We all know that these little machines use very hot water under pressure, and the last thing we want is for something to go wrong and the machine to explode in your face.

As it is impossible to test all brands of compatible Dolce Gusto pods, I have researched user reviews on Amazon and concluded that they work well as a general rule.

Some users have reported problems; however, the general trend is that there are usually no problems with compatible Dolce Gusto pods. This is due to the simplicity of the mechanism for piercing the pod and extracting the coffee.

Even so, here are a few negative comments about how they work so that if you buy this type of pod, you can be warned:

Complaints about the performance of compatible Dolce Gusto capsules
Complaints about the performance of compatible Dolce Gusto capsules

Is there a wide variety of compatible Dolce Gusto pods?

As with Lavazza-compatible pods, Dolce Gusto has been widely distributed in European countries, so there is also a wide variety of compatible pods on this continent.

We are talking about hundreds of brands selling compatible Dolce Gusto pods, and more and more are appearing, especially from Italy. Just look at Amazon, and you will be amazed at the variety.

For countries outside Europe, things get more complicated as even Amazon, which usually has everything, does not have a wide range. For example, the POP CAFFÉ brand stands out in the United States, with no pods cheaper than $1.20 per unit.

Refillable pods are abundant in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. Those where you add your own coffee, compact, close the lid and insert the pod as if it were an official or compatible pod.

Are Dolce Gusto refillable pods an alternative?

I am totally against refillable pods for two main reasons:

  • On the one hand, if you buy a coffee pod machine, it is to avoid dealing with ground coffee, compacting, etc.
  • On the other hand, what is the right grind, and how many grams of coffee should you put in the pod? These are questions that can only be answered after many attempts and failures.

Moreover, while the compatible pods worked relatively well, the refillable pods were a real disaster. There are hundreds of comments about how the lids come off and end up spilling coffee all over the machine and the kitchen, not to mention being dangerous.

I have also seen many coffee machines broken because of the refillable metal pods. The nozzles end up bent or damaged beyond repair when they come into contact with the refillable pod.

In short, if your choice is a refillable pod or an official one, go for the official one regardless of the price. Otherwise, you could end up ruining your Dolce Gusto.

Buy compatible Dolce Gusto pods: Prices

It is difficult to give exact prices for compatible Dolce Gusto capsules as they vary depending on the shop where you buy them, the time of year and the number of units you buy. However, generally, we can average between 19 and 25 cents per compatible pod. Here are some examples (prices may vary):

Note: For this review, I will use Amazon UK prices as a reference.

Do I save money by buying Dolce Gusto-compatible capsules?

After everything I’ve told you about Dolce Gusto-compatible pods, I have to inform you that one of the brands with the cheapest original coffee pods is Dolce Gusto.

The low cost of Dolce Gusto pods is due to the mass production of compatible pods. As Dolce Gusto quickly realised they were losing too many buyers, they decided to match and, in many cases, sell at a lower price than the compatible capsules.

So today, it is very easy to find offers of original pods where the price per unit is only £0.16, which is less than the cheapest compatible capsules.

Here are some examples from Amazon UK: